Heroes of the East

So good we had to return immediately to John Woo’s sweaty gangster tragi-ballad, A Better Tomorrow II, to revel in the blood soaked ballet that inspired so many films (ahem, reservoir dogs). Cobbled together a year after Woo’s original 1986 smash hit, A Better Tomorrow II brings back Chow Yun Fat (but of course!), Ti Lung and Leslie Cheung, but also presents an uncharacteristically grounded performance from the late great Dean Shek, and pre-Stephen Chow villainous Ng Man Tat.It’s been established that Chow is the thief of our hearts, stealing scenes aplenty, but this instalment has some great performances with multiple nominations and awards with huge shout outs to Leslie’s Cheungs heartbreaking phonebooth scene and Chow’s legendary ‘Apologise to the Rice’ scene. Put on your suits and ties, grab your shotguns and gear up with us. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/asianactioncast/message

What happens when you take a Hong Kong comedy director, old, washed up martial arts star and young desperate actor with nothing to lose? A Better Tomorrow, that’s what.John Woo’s 1986 gangster thriller with Chow Yun Fat and Ti Lung reinvented the genre and guaranteed a better tomorrow of heroic bloodshed and tragic bromances for decades to come.No other movie is so iconic, so fresh and so stylish. Chow’s Mark is the definition of scene stealer, the late great Leslie Cheung plucks up as the young cop. Essential viewing if you’re a fan of Hong Kong cinema, relive it with us. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/asianactioncast/message

The AAC takes a journey back to 1972 for the fourth instalment in the Lone Wolf and Cub Series. Our vengeance seeking duo of father Ogami Itto (Tomisaburo Wakayama) and mullet/sideburns/top knot/rats tail son Daigoro (Akihiro Tomikawa) are tasked with killing female assassin (Oyuki played by Michie Azuma). But along the way there's many, many random Yagyu soldiers to slice. Father and son are walking the demon path to hell, can anyone stop them? Does that pram have suspension? How painful would that tattoo be? Join us and find out. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/asianactioncast/message

M.D.S Geist is your 1986 granddaddy of modern adult anime. We watch the 1996 directors cut of Koichi Ohatas debut, building the template of ultra violent animation and grim anti-hero’s. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/asianactioncast/message

You could be forgiven for not seeing Oscar winner Michelle Yeoh’s cinema debut in Sammo Hung’s 1984 film, Owl vs Bombo. A pretty face and far cry from her future baddassery, she could not save Sammo's cringy self indulgent movie. Pairing with George Lam's Owl, Hung's Bumbo busts more dance moves than skulls, insistent on pedalling the most awkward romance ever. Credit for not having Ms Malaysia herself as the target of his affections; the cringe to action ratio is leaning the wrong way. The action though, is trademark Sammo Hung and golden era Hong Kong fight cinema. A youthful Dick Wei owns every scene he’s in, with glimpses at James Tien, Chin Kar Lok, Phillip Chan, Stanley Fung. Filled with promise but ultimately as disappointing as a dinner date with Sammo, we watched it so you don’t have to, hear our doves cry. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/asianactioncast/message

Are you a Jackie Chan fan? Or maybe a fan of John Cena? Have I got your attention? Well, 2023’s Hidden Strike is more than just lip service. It will reel you in with the clickbait and will hold your attention for its booming 1hr 45min runtime. Who would have thought I would say that last sentence without irony! No one on the Asian Action Cast, that’s for sure. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/asianactioncast/message

Are you looking for impressive hair, smouldering looks, screaming and school turf wars? Do you like your movies to be no talk and all action? Love the sounds of the Exile Tribe and all their offshoot acts? High & Low The Worst X is the film for you. What better way to dip our toes into the High & Low series by starting with the 7th movie and based on a collaboration with 2 mangas we haven't read? Genius! --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/asianactioncast/message

Remember a time when Sonny Chiba’s THE STREETFIGHTER roamed the streets of Japan? Kazuhiko Yamaguchi’s 1974 pulp spin-off Sister Street Fighter proves it takes a woman’s touch to truly twist the neck off thugs.Etsuko Shihomi’s Li Koryu plays the titular Sister Street Fighter and like any vengeance fuelled martial hero, goes from stunning to psychotic in less than 3 seconds. One of Sonny Chiba’s proteges she takes to the silver screen mugging, jumping and killing with lethal efficiency in this homage to Bruce’s own 1973 epic, Enter the Dragon.With more Bruce look-a-likes than you can shake a nun-chuck at, this is unashamedly a celebration of evil masterminds and their villainous lairs and collections of dangerous things. Full of colour, it is fun, vibrant and entertaining, do what we do and see it with a crew - then go roll the mean streets of Yokohama to avenge your captured family! --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/asianactioncast/message

The Asian Action Cast wraps up another year of the best (and worst) of Asian and Hong Kong action cinema. Numbers and stats: got 'em. Talking over each other because it's online: in spades. Our yearly tournament having some really unfair matchup brackets? You know it's true! All movies reviewed go into a tournament, and only one movie can be crowned number one. Which movie will reign supreme?  Thanks listeners, for your support this year. As always, stay for the remix! --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/asianactioncast/message

Wong Jing’s 2022 remake of his 1993 Wuxia epic, Kung Fu Cult Master (Pt 1) is proof that practice makes progress. 30 years of experience gives you special effects, less toilet humor, a wizened Donnie Yen and an actual, honest to god filmed and released sequel (Kung Fu Cult Master (Pt 2) released in the same year. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/asianactioncast/message